Jacksonville Blues
by Hauptmann Holmes
Summary: What if Jasper and Emmett didn't really kill James? Bella take a trip to the zoo and gets the shock of her life. T for minor language.
1. First Day at Zoo

**Disclaimer: **I own nothing. If I did, Edward wouldn't be a stuck up stalker.

**Author's Note: **This is the first re-posted chapter of the rewrite of _Jacksonville Blues_. I'll be doing the review responses again, so all your questions will be answer at the end of each chapter.

Here's hoping you like it!

_Lenny_

**First Day at Zoo (James' Point of View) (785)**

The room they were keeping me in was dark and drippy. It smelled terrible and was way too small. The fire warden would have had a small coronary is he'd seen it.

"So," the blond one, Jasper, began. "What do you want us to do to you?"

They were asking me. This couldn't end well. "Uhm… Why don't you just kill me?"

"Death," Jasper laughed. "That would be far too easy and not enough punishment for what you have done. What do you think Emmett," he addressed the curly-haired bear standing next to him.

"Actually, I was thinking death, too."

Jasper face-palmed himself. "Like I said. Too easy. Not enough. But don't worry," he grinned at me. "We'll find something worse."

I gulped. What could be worse than my second death?

They decided to talk it over and walked out of the room. I suppose I could have escaped, but I decided that two against one weren't the best odds. Especially with a bear like Emmett.

There was an exclamation from the other room. "What? That's impossible; the Volturi would never allow it!"

"Calm down, I've already discussed it with Aro. He thinks it's a great idea. He's even thinking of using it as some sort of capital punishment for unruly vampires. That's how he put it, too. 'Capital punishment.'"

I shuddered, the hope of a quick death leaving me. What could be worse then my second death?

**Alfonso's Zoo of Curiosities - Jacksonville, Florida**

"As long as you're sure that DHS won't have a problem with this," the stocky man puffed on his cigar.

Jasper spoke up. "Since he's technically isn't a human, you shouldn't have any problems. If you do, just give this number a call and ask for Aro. He'll solve all your problems," he handed the man a card.

Jasper Hale had Aro Volturi's personal line? That was weird.

"I don't know," the man took a sip of his white wine. "What was it you said that he did in the sunlight?"

"We swear on our lives," I snorted and Emmett kicked me. "That he _sparkles in the sun_."

"Interesting. Can he talk?"

Emmett kicked me again. "HEY THERE. My name is James and these kind gentlemen--" then Jasper kicked me until I stopped talking.

"That's great," the man exclaimed, almost dropping his cigar in his white wine. "How much?"

"No charge, we needed to get rid of him, anyways," Jasper smiled. "Have a nice time, James. I hope you like cages, because you're going to spend long time in one. Oh, and don't even think about escaping. Aro will have you eliminated."

They left the room and I was left with a chubby man smoking himself to death.

The next day they shoved me in a medium sized cage with a cave in it. What was I? A savage?

A little while later, a keeper that looked like an ape (and probably had the IQ of one) came into my "house." He shoved a glass of blood toward me and grunted, "Drink this and get out there."

I sniffed the blood cautiously. Antelope. Yuck. "I'll take the drinks, but you can leave the missions to James Bond, not James Mason."

He took a cattle prod out from behind his back. "They told me that you would say something like that. Get out there."

I downed the blood in one gulp while eyeing the prod. "Would you want to be stared at by thousands of tour--"

_ZAP_

"OUCH," I rubbed my backside. "I'll go, I'll go!"

I rushed into the sunlight. Almost everyone gasped and ogled at me and several people started snapping pictures. What can I say? I'm gorgeous.

There were two girls standing right in front of me. One of them started to giggle. "He is _so_ cute. I wonder what his name is."

I smirked. "I'll tell you mine if you tell me yours."

The two girls lapsed into a fresh fit of giggles. "Mine's Jennifer and this is Sarah," the other girl waved. "Now what's yours?"

I flashed my pearly whites. "My name is James."

"JENNIFER! SARAH! DO NOT TALK TO THE ANIMALS," a very unhappy older woman stalked up behind the two girls and pulled them away from my cage. As they exited, I heard her lecturing them about not talking to the prisoners etc.

A reporter snapped a picture of me. I growled at him and he exited rather quickly.

This was the beginning of something horrible, and it could be wonderful or a living hell. I was hoping it was the former.


	2. Forced Vacation

**Disclaimer:** If I owned _Twilight_, it would be so much better.

**Author's Note:** Here's another edited chapter for you. It's the one that's with Bella. The edited version is much longer/more interesting. There's much more from Bella in _Jacksonville Blues_ this time around.

**Jacksonville Blues - Forced Vacation (Bella's Point of View) (1050)**

The sound of someone rummaging around in my dresser woke me up. I reached for the mace under my pillow (one of Charlie's mandatory precautions) and sat up, holding it at arm's length. It was just Charlie. "Dad, what are you doing?"

Charlie had been busily stuffing my wardrobe into a duffle bag. He dropped the bra he was holding and turned to look at me. He looked extraordinarily guilty. "Hey, Bells, I didn't know you were awake."

"What are you doing?"

"I'm packing for you. You're going to stay with your mother for a few months," his mouth formed a little line.

"What?"

"You're going to stay with your mother for a few months. The sun and warm will do you good."

I started to panic. If I left Forks I would lose the little piece of _him_ that I had left. "What about school. It's the middle of the year!"

"I talked to the councilor and she said that she would talk to the principle and he would let you have the next few months. You can make it up when you get back."

I frowned. It was only for a few months. Maybe it would do me some good, though the councilor had been making my life hell for the last few months. She had probing questions that almost always mentioned one or more of _them_. It was mostly about _him_. She didn't know that she was just making it worse.

"Fine, dad. Maybe it will do me some good."

My flight took off from the Seattle airport at two. I was seated next to a moderately attractive young man. About ten minutes into the flight he turned to me. "Excuse me; can I borrow your headphones for the movie? It seems that they forgot to give me a pair."

"Sure thing," I mumbled, handing him my headphones.

He smiled brightly. "Thanks, are you sure you don't want to watch it?"

"No, I don't like romantic comedies."

"How did you know it was a romantic comedy," he asked his smiled slipping.

"They always are," I turned away from him and stared out the window.

Three hours later, the plane landed in Tampa. The young man turned to me. "Thanks, again, for the headphones. It was a good movie."

"I'm sure it was," he shook his head at me, clearly not understanding my bad mood, and left.

Renee and Phil were waiting for me at the gate. My dear, eccentric mother was holding a sign that said: "WELCOME TO FLORIDA, BELLA!"

I sighed. This was exactly what I had expected (and hoped wouldn't happen).

"Bella," my mother cried, running up to me and giving me a huge hug. Phil walked up behind her, smiled, and waved. I was grateful for his laid-back personality at times like these. "I'm so glad that you decided to come," Renee gushed. "We're going to have so much fun! The first thing that we're doing is going to the zoo! Isn't that exciting?"

"Renee," Phil interrupted my mother torrent of enthusiasm. "Bella might not want to go to the zoo first thing. Or at all! Do you want to, Bella?"

"It's OK; it's not too much of a time change. I'll be fine," I smiled gratefully at Phil. Sometimes my mother got so caught up in her plans that she disregarded everyone else's wishes.

It was an hour drive from Tampa to Jacksonville and another half hour to get to the zoo. After an hour and a half we were all happy to get out of the stuffy car and into the fresh air.

Then I saw the sign. It was hung directly next to the entrance.

_Alfonso's Zoo of Curiosities_

_Presents:_

_THE FIRST EVER VAMPIRE IN CAPTIVITY!_

_SEE THE HORROR!_

_Visit today!_

My heart sank. This was not good.

"Is something wrong, honey," Renee asked.

"No, mom," I swallowed. "I just didn't expect them to be advertising vampires instead of giraffes and hippos."

"I know! Isn't it exciting?"

Exciting was not that word I would have used. What if it was someone I knew? What if it was _him_? I couldn't bear the sight of _his_ face. It would kill me. But dear, sweet Renee didn't know that. So I would have to go in.

The line for tickets was long. It was stuffed to the brim with reporters and people who looked like scientists. Then there were the tourists with screaming children who all seemed to want ice cream. It seemed like hours before we finally got to the gate.

There was a _huge_ crowd around a small cage just past the primate house. I assumed that it contained the vampire. A lump formed in my throat as we walked closer to the crowd.

"Come on, Bella, let's get closer," Renee grabbed my arm and pulled me through the throng of people.

I had never been claustrophobic before, but the press of people around me made me feel slightly queasy. As we approached the front of the crowd, I could hear the shouts if reporters. "What is your name?" "How old are you?" "Where were you born?" "How did you get to be here?"

A louder voice rose above the rest. "PLEASE DO NOT YELL AT THE ANIMALS. ALL REPORTERS TO THE SEAHORSE FOUNTAIN FOR AN INTERVIEW WITH MR. CARLISSIAN ABOUT THE VAMPIRE," the voice lowered slightly. "Anyone else who wishes to learn more, please gather at the seahorse fountain. THANK YOU."

The crowd abruptly ran off to the left and Renee and I were left standing in front of the enclosure.

He was beautiful. I suppose all vampires are. The sun was out in full force and his pale skin was glittering like a diamond. Painful memories entered my mind, and my chest started to ache. No! I was not going to let Renee see me like this! I straightened and took a closer look at the vampire. He had medium length dirty-blond hair.

Suddenly, he turned and I was confronted with a familiar pair of burgundy eyes. I stiffened. James, the vampire who had tried to kill me, was laying only a few feet away from me with only a flimsy fence in between us.

Things got worse. James raised an eyebrow. "Bella?"

**Reviews!**

**Saephana:** Oops! Guess I screwed up! Don't hesitate to tell me that I mucked up the grammar or spelling or such.

**rebelwilla:** Yes, poor, poor, James.

**Mama2Four:** Thanks much!

**Me :** I know, right? It's been almost a year!


	3. The Talk, Reaction, and Proposal

**Disclaimer:** If I owned _Twilight_, it would be so much better.

**Author's Note:** So the reason that I haven't really updated for a long time is partly because of school, and because NaNoWriMo ate my soul. It chewed it up and spit it out! Wish me luck writing 50,000 words in a month!

**Jacksonville Blues - The Talk, Proposal, & Reaction (James' Point of View) (731)**

Bella Swan was standing in front of my cage. Bella Swan of all people! "Bella?"

She looked like she was going to choke when the woman standing next to her turned and asked, "Bella, why does he know your name?"

I realized that the woman must be Bella's mother, so I quickly came up with a crap story to placate her. "I passed through Forks a while ago and stopped at the store where Bella works. Right, Bella?" I winked furiously, which probably made me look like I was having a spasm.

"Yeah, mom," Bella said shakily. "I met James at Newton's store. He came in a bought a knife."

Bella's mother sniffed. "I see," her eyes darted between me and her daughter. "I'm going to find Phil. We'll meet you near the seahorse statue that the keeper mentioned earlier. It should be easy enough to find," the woman walked slowly off in the direction of the primate house.

"Great, your mom doesn't even know my name and she already hates me," I glanced down at Bella. She was shaking. "Hey, uh, Bella, are you OK?"

"No," she pressed her lips together and hugged herself around the chest.

"Do you need any help?"

"No."

For a few moments she looked like she was going to collapse. But just as I was contemplating calling to one of the security guards, she straightened and inhaled deeply. "You're supposed to be dead."

I sighed. "I _am_ dead."

She frowned at me. "You know what I mean."

I patted myself down. "Nope, not _dead_ dead. Still _un_dead."

"But _his_ brothers took care of you!"

"You mean Jasper and Emmett," she flinched. "Those jokers? They decided that it would be better if I suffered a fate _worse_ than my second death. So they called up the Volturi--"

"Who are they," her interest was clearly peaked.

"Vampire law enforcement. Anyway, they called the Volturi and asked if they could put me in a zoo. And Aro, he's the leader, said sure! In fact, he thought that it was such a good idea that he's going to use it as 'capital punishment.' Isn't that just peachy? There are going to be more freaks like me in all of the zoos across America," I clenched my teeth.

Bella cocked her head. "So you're here as punishment for trying to kill me?"

"Yes! And the worst part is that I didn't even want to kill you," I swore under my breath.

"Oh," she looked very small and frightened. "I'm sorry… I didn't know."

I sighed. For some reason, I couldn't yell at her. Maybe it was the puppy-dog eyes… "It's fine, Bella. It's not your fault."

A light bulb turned on in my head. What if… "Bella, I have a huge favor to ask of you."

She pursed her lips and gazed warily at me. "What is it?"

"I need you to help me break out."

"You need me to help you what, now," she looked genuinely confused.

"I need you to help me break out of the zoo. Maybe we can make it look like I was stolen, or something."

"James, that's highly illegal and dangerous. Besides, why should I help you? Whether you wanted to or not, you tried to kill me. Why should I let a dangerous criminal out of his prison?"

I rolled my eyes. "To tell you the truth, I could get out of here on my own. But I need a ride afterwards. A getaway driver, if you will."

Bella crossed her arms. "Absolutely not."

"Aw, come on! Why not?"

"Like I said, you're a dangerous criminal," she shrugged. "Besides, I wouldn't want to get on the wrong side of these Volturi people. _He_ told me a little bit about them once, and they didn't sound nice."

I pouted and put set my puppy-eyes to full rock n' roll. "Pwease?"

She rolled her eyes. "I guess I could just give you a ride. When should I be here?"

"Tonight at midnight."

"How am I supposed to get here?"

"Steal the keys to your mother's car? Walk? Ride a bumblebee? Frankly, I don't care as long as you're here."

"I'll walk, thanks," she grimaced. "I don't think my mother would like it if she woke up and found the car and me missing."

I smiled and Bella gasped slightly. That girl was so excitable!

**Review tiiime!**

**la-giggles: **Thanks!

**Oxymoron:** Ikr? Bella is such a wishy-washy little witch in the books. I wanted to write her like she had some backbone.

**rebalwilla:** Don't worry, she won't!

**jokergirl4ever:** Aww, thanks! I basically decided to edit it because I looked at it one day and decided that there were too many grammtical mistakes for me to continue in good conscience.

**Aquafizzy:** Don't worry, I'll try to update more often for you!


	4. Everybody's Hero

**Disclaimer:** If I owned _Twilight_, it would be so much better.

**Author's Note:** Yeah, so now I'm posting more than one chapter at a time so I can get it over with and delete the old _Jacksonville Blues_. I'll just do reviews and whatnot later.

**Jacksonville Blues - Everybody's Hero (James' Point of View) (768)**

Bella's mouth was still gaping when I realized that it wasn't my pearly whites that had excited her. She was staring over my shoulder at something. I turned and followed her line of sight.

I tried to find what she was looking at, and was just about to ask her when I saw what she was gaping at.

A small boy had climbed over the fence of the white lion's cage. He was sitting on a rock and pointing to a rock. "KITTY," he shouted.

The keepers were already scurrying around, trying to get to the little boy in time.

"James," Bella turned to me. "They're never going to get to him in time."

At that moment it was apparent what she was suggesting. I climbed over the electric fence and jumped over to the boy's mother. She was trying to climb over the embankment to her son.

I grabbed the woman and pulled her back. She turned with an anguished face. "What are you doing? I need to save my son!"

"I'll get him. What's his name?"

"Jack," she sobbed.

I let go of her shoulders and landed in the enclosure a few moments later. "Jack!"

The little boy turned to me. "Sparkly man," he giggled. "You're in the wrong cage, silly!"

"I know, Jack," by this time, one of the larger males was circling behind Jack while the lionesses were circling behind me. "But you're not supposed to be in this cage, either."

His face fell. "But I wanted to pet the kitty!"

"Jack, the keepers don't want you to pet the kitty. And I don't think that the kitty wants to be petted," the male lion flexed his long hind legs as he prepared to jump.

I mimicked the movement.

We both jumped at the same time and met in mid-air over Jack's head.

I heard him scream from below. "Don't hurt the sparkly man, kitty!"

If I hadn't been in a zoo, that lion would have been toast. But I was probably already in enough trouble as it was. So it decided to scare it and let it go. It's not as easy as it sounds. I mean, have you ever tried to scare a _lion_ of all things?

I squeezed the lion by the neck, then threw it about thirty feet. There was a growl behind me and I remembered Simba's pride. I was back with Jack in a flash. "Now, Jack, I need to listen very carefully. When I say 'now' I need you to jump on my back and hang on as tight as you can. Do you understand?"

He nodded.

"OK, good. Now get ready."

I turned to the lionesses and growled at them. They faltered for a moment, then continued stalking us. One of the lionesses crouched down in preparation for jumping. She pushed off with her powerful hind legs and I shouted: "NOW!"

Jack jumped on my back and clung to my throat. I jumped for all I was worth.

The lioness missed us by inches.

My jump propelled me to the embankment. I grabbed the embankment and pushed myself over. I landed in front of Jack's mother. He was shivering on my back. I pulled him gently off and handed him to his mother.

She sobbed and thanked me at least a million times.

I smiled at her. "It's OK. Anyone else would have done the same," I walked back over to where Bella was standing, mouth agape. I flicked it shut.

She sputtered for a few moments, and then started to clap. First it was only her, than the entire crowd was clapping. And all for me! It felt great, and I mentally decided to do good deeds more often.

"James," Bella said. I turned to her. "That was a bravest and most stupid thing that I've ever seen anyone do. Good job."

"Thanks," I climbed back over the fence and sat in front of her. "So I'll see you tonight?"

"Yeah," she smiled, wrinkles creasing her forehead. "I guess you will."

I smiled back, elated.


	5. The Great Escape

**Disclaimer:** If I owned _Twilight_, it would be so much better.

**Author's Note:** Doesn't it just make you extatic to get so many e-mails? And all of them from me!

**Jacksonville Blues - The Great Escape (James' Point of View) (807)**

I paced restlessly. Where was she? Bella and I had agreed on midnight, and it was midnight now. A million different possibilities ran through my mind. What if she had been caught? What if someone had captured her? What if she was unconscious? "James." What if she was dead? "Ja-a-a-mes." What if I was stuck here forever? "JAMES!"

I looked to my left and saw Bella standing outside my cage. "Oh, you're not dead."

She raised an eyebrow. "What?"

"Never mind. Did you get the key?"

Bella held up a huge ring of keys and jingled them. "I've got them, but which one is it?"

I sighed and rolled my eyes. "The hell if I know! It's probably one of the big ones."

She sorted through the larger keys on the ring, absentmindedly scraping her feet. I phased out, listening to the sound of her scraping feet. She wasn't a bad looking girl. I mean, her hair was kinda pretty and her eyes looked a bit like the chocolate candies that I liked to eat when I was a kid. And her cheekbones--

"James! I found it!"

I snapped out of my revelry. "Are you sure?"

She pushed the door in. "Yeah, pretty sure."

"Well then," I walked through. "Did you bring your mom's--"

There were footsteps. I grabbed Bella and ran as fast as my feet would carry me in the other direction.

Once we were safely outside I put Bella down. She brushed herself off and clutched her chest. "What's the matter," I touched her shoulder. The last thing that I needed was an unconscious girl on my hands.

"Nothing," she gasped. "It just happens sometimes."

I pulled my hand back. "Great. How do you propose that we get back to your house?"

She straightened. "What do you mean: 'get back to your house?' You are not going back to my mother's house under any circumstances!"

"I need a place to stay! I'm going to run tomorrow, after a good night's sleep," I shrugged. "All I need is a roof to sit on for now."

Bella crossed her arms. "Vampires don't sleep, James."

"I know! I just need a place to crash. Like I said, just a roof to sit on," I smiled. "Come on Bella! You love vamps! Besides, even if you say no I can just follow you home."

She chewed her lip and stared at the ground. I noticed that she started to scrape her foot on the ground again. Maybe it was a nervous tick type of thing. She looked up. "Fine. But you are to stay on the roof until my mother leaves. Then you may come in and sit for a while," she raised a finger. "But only then!"

I raised my hands and grinned. "Sure thing, boss," I knelt. "Jump on," I must have waited for two hole minutes before I realized that she had no intention of "jumping on." "Fine, we'll walk."

About a half hour into our walk back to Bella's mother's house it started to pour. I mean, it was raining horses, pigs, and cows. "Are you still sure that you don't want a ride?" I almost had to yell over the sound of the rain. "It's only that I don't like being pelted with farm animals from the sky.

She walked on, head down, apparently ignoring me.

"Fine! See if I care that you get soaked," I ran ahead for some distance. A faint yell came from behind me and I smiled. She definitely wanted a ride now. I ran back to her. "Want a ride now?"

"No. I do, however, want you to wait for me. Besides, you can't find my house without me."

I scoffed. "Please. I'm a tracker. I could find your house in the middle of a white out with both hands tied behind my back. All I have to do is follow your scent."

Her head rose slightly and she glared at me. "Please wait."

It took us another excruciating twenty minutes to get back to her mother's house. By that time, my skin was soaked right through to the skin!***** Luckily, her mom and step-dad were already gone.

She fumbled with the keys, dropping them as she tried to open the door. We went for them at the same time and we did the awkward hand-touch-thing that only really happens in romantic comedies as a plot device to let the hero look into the heroine's eyes. Her eyes made me want to eat chocolate. A completely irrational hunger, considering. She mumbled her thanks and opened the door.

"Go up onto the roof and sit there until I call you," the look on her face left no room for any answer other than yes.

"Yes, ma'am."

I had a feeling that this was going to be a long night.

*** Major props to anyone who knows where this line comes from.**


	6. Rainy Night

**Disclaimer:** If I owned _Twilight_, it would be so much better.

**Author's Note:**By now all the e-mails in your inbox are probably giving you an aneurysm. Do I care? NOPE!

**Jacksonville Blues - Rainy Night (James' Point of View) (1802)**

So there it was, sitting in the pouring rain on Bella's roof, waiting for her to call me inside. It didn't help that it was still raining various and sundry farm animals. I had a sneaking suspicion that she was taking a shower. Well, quite technically, so was I.

"James," a whisper wafted from the room below me. She clearly had experience with vamps hiding outside of her window at night. If I knew anything about Edward, he had made sure of that.

I swung down onto her window sill, which, fortunately, held my weight. "Can I come in now?"

She gasped and stepped back. "Yeah. Sure thing."

I stepped in from the sill. There was a resounding crack from behind me and, as I looked, the sill fell off the side of the house and into a rose bush. I shrugged. "Whoops."

Bella gave me a very expressive look. "That was my mother's favorite rose bush."

"A rose by any other name would still have thorns. Besides, if you had let me in earlier, I wouldn't have had to jump through you window in the first place! Bet you wouldn't have kept _EDWARD_ waiting," she flinched. It was a low blow, I know, but she needed to get over him sometime.

An angry look came into her eyes. "You're dripping on the floor," that clearly wasn't the reason she was mad. "Go downstairs to the dining room while I get you a towel."

In a flash, I was downstairs. The dining room wasn't anything to write home about, just a table and a few chairs. It looked like Bella's mother had more pictures of Bella than the average teenage girl has of Robert Pattinson. There were pictures of baby Bella, toddler Bella, pimply middle school Bella.

Footsteps approached and I smiled to myself. "Y'know, you were really hot in the eighth grade."

"Ha ha, very funny. Here, you can use these," she didn't look amused by my wit.

I shrugged. You win some, you lose some. My favorite leather-- pardon, my only leather jacket was sopping wet. There was no hope for that. I took it off and, after a moment of thought, set it on one of the towels. There was, however, hope for my AC/DC shirt. All that needed was a dry.

"Uhm… What are you doing?"

I had taken off my shirt and set it on the hardwood floor. "What?"

She sighed. "Nothing. Are you going to take off your pants too?"

I winked. "Only if you want me to."

Bella was pretty good at glaring. "No."

The towels were nice and soft. "Does my body really make you that uncomfortable," she had been making little "awkward" noises for the last few seconds.

"Yes," she mumbled, blushing. "Can you hurry up?"

"Sure thing, boss," I toweled my chest and hair, and then picked up my shirt. "Can I dry this," I looked down at my jeans. They were sticking to my skin. "And those."

Bella looked up and down. "As long as you stay in the laundry room while you do, I don't care," she walked me down the hallway. "But you have to stay in the laundry room."

"Sure," I stepped into the room that she showed me and closed the door behind me.

It was a while before I heard anything else from her. "James?"

"Yeah," I pulled my jeans out of the washer and stuffed them into the dryer.

"Where did you get that scar next to your eye?"

And odd question, but there was no real reason not to answer it. "I got it from your ex. He got a few bites in before his brothers," I scoffed. "Tore him off me. Unfortunately, they just wanted me in one piece so their torture could have more effect."

I could hear her swallow in the hall. "Well, you did kidnap me and try to kill me."

I snorted. "The icing on that cake is that it wasn't even my idea. I didn't want to kidnap you or kill you. There was no reason for me to."

"Then who wanted me dead?"

"Victoria. I suppose she was jealous that you, a plain-looking human, had caught Edward's eye and she hadn't. Victoria was weird that way."

"Wait, she wanted _him_? Why?"

I gulped. Edward had threatened to kill me if I _ever_ told anyone. Dare I risk it? Yes. "Way back when, in the sixties, Edward and Victoria knew each other. In fact, they more than knew each other. They dated."

"They dated," her voice was flat and toneless. "How did you find out?"

"Well, the sixties were a time when Edward was feeling rebellious and ran away from the Cullens. When he ran away he decided that he would find the most dangerous carnivorous coven that he could find. Fortunately, he didn't know about the Volturi then. Anyhow, he found Victoria's coven--"

"Wait," the door opened. Lucky for Bella I hadn't decided to wash my boxers. "The coven was Victoria's? Edward said that you were the leader!"

"He lied. Are you ready to listen now," I crossed my arms.

She suddenly noticed my half-clothed state and blushed. "Oh. Yeah, go on."

"He found Victoria's coven and joined up. I can't think of a reason why she would let him, other than she thought that he was gorgeous," Bella blushed again. "He stayed with us for the entire decade; then Carlisle came to get him and he left. Victoria was as mad as a wet cat. I don't think they've spoken since." _Which is probably for the best_, I added to myself.

While I contemplated what would have happened had Victoria and Edward stayed together, I noticed that Bella was looking a bit green about the gills. "Are you alright?"

"Yes," she gasped, doubling over in what seemed to be pain.

I put my hand on her shoulder. "Sure? You look like you're having a heart attack," I tried to remember how to perform CPR and factor in the fact that if I pushed even a little too hard her lungs could burst.

"It's nothing like that," she straightened and gulped in air. "It's just that when I hear _his _name too much I start hyperventilating and my chest aches."

"Uh… that's not good," she tried to swat my hand away, but I kept it on her shoulder. I was still figuring out how I was going to give her CPR. "If you're getting panic attacks whenever you think about _him_, then your relationship went to a very unhealthy place."

She chuckled, and then clutched at her chest. "Aren't you just a regular Dr. Phil?"

_Humor? At a time like this? She's definitely bipolar._

"Not exactly," I smirked. "But close."

It took her a half hour of my best jokes and dirty limericks to calm down. Just as she did, there was a voice from down the hall. "BELLA! WE'RE HOME EARLY, THE PLAY WAS DREADFUL!"

"Oh crap," I said. The next few movements were faster than the human eye could comprehend. Let's just say that I was dressed faster than a guy who wanted to leave the morning after. "Would your mother come into your room when you weren't there just for the hell of it?"

Bella looked rather panicked. "I don't think so… But I'm not sure."

"That's good enough for me," I ran up to her room and quietly closed the door behind me.

"OOO! I thought I saw a shadow! Maybe we have a ghost, Phil," there was a pause between exclamations, then: "Not just yet, dear, Phil and I would like to have a talk with you. Of course you can go freshen up, but please come right back down."

While I was listening to Bella's mom and step-dad talking while Bella was in the bathroom, I got a tingling feeling in the back of my neck. That usually mean that I'm being watched. Which is usually bad.

I turned slowly. There was someone hanging from the edge of the window. Quite a feat, considering the lack of windowsill. I opened the window. "Hello?"

The man clambered in. "You need to leave this place, you're in danger."

"I'm fine, how are you?"

"I'm serious," the man laid a hand on my shoulder. "My name is George; I'm the night guard at the zoo. I was the man on duty when you--"

Bella walked in. "Who is this," she demanded, sounding scarily like Victoria.

George sighed. "I'm George; I was the night guard when you helped him escape tonight. However, I am sympathetic to your cause."

I sniffed the air. "You're a vamp."

"Yes, so I decided that it would be best if I pretended that you got out on your own and were long gone. But another guard brought it to Mr. Alfonso's attention and he called the Volturi. They're after you, James."

"Great. Just great."

"Who are the Volturi," Bella asked, she look worried. And she had every right to be.

"The Volturi are basically vampire law enforcement. The only problem is that, over the last two-and-a-half millennia they've become corrupt and lazy. They're also in dire need of new management. Considering that Lord Aro, their leader, is more than a little bit crazy," I shook my head.

"He's exactly right. And people who piss off the Volturi never live to tell the tale," George turned to me. "You need to leave before the morning. They're taking a plane to maintain an air of nonchalance and to prevent panic, so it will be at least three hours until they get here. A lot of people will be happy to hear that you've escaped, so look for friendly faces on the road," her turned and looked out the window. "Someone followed me here, but they can't do anything without Volturi permission. Good luck."

All George left was silence.

Bella broke it first. "What will happen to Phil and Renee?"

"I don't know. You go down and have your talk with them and I'll pack a bag for you. Which is your toothbrush?"

"I'm not going to let you pack for me! That's creepy and wrong on so many levels!"

"We're being chased by some of the most powerful vampires in the world and you're worried about 'wrong?'"

"Well… I need to pack things that you shouldn't see," she blushed and shuffled her feet. "Just let me pack, okay?"

"No, there isn't time. Don't worry, though, I've seen so many pairs of women's underwear that it's pathetic," I got "The Look." Men, you know the one I'm talking about. "What? I lived with Victoria for around eighty years. And tampons don't weird me out either."

The Look. Again. "Fine, just pack," she walked out the door in a huff.

Personally, I didn't see anything wrong.


	7. Deceived By Flight

**Disclaimer:** If I owned _Twilight_, it would be so much better.

**Author's Note:** So this is the last chapter that I have saved in my GoogleDocs account. I'll fix that later and update more.

**Jacksonville Blues - Deceived By Flight* (Bella's Point of View) (1211)**

***** This is also an episode title from the Inspector Morse Mystery series on Masterpiece Mystery. Props if you know what any of that is.

I didn't want to run anymore. I had already agreed to run from _his_ memory, and now I was going to have to run from more vampires. Even being around one wasn't good for me. James was so different from _him_, but even so, James still smelled like _him_. When I saw James in the laundry room, without his shirt on, I was reminded of that day in meadow with _him_. Not that I felt _any_ romantic attraction to James, quite the opposite, in fact. I didn't want to be within seven miles of the man. But now I had to run. Again.

The living room was oddly quiet; there was no TV blaring the latest baseball game and no Renee trying to talk on the phone over it. The silence wasn't a good sign. For a terrible moment, I thought that maybe there person who had followed the night guard had done something to my dear mother and step-father. But my fears were dispelled when I rounded the corner and saw them whispering together on the couch.

"Bella, dear, come sit by me," my mother patted the couch next to her. "Phil and I would like to talk to you."

"Sure," I shrugged, carefully trying to maintain my apathetic air.

"Your father has noticed that since Edward," I flinched. "Left Forks, you have been less and less… content with your life. We have decided, along with Phil, that after your vacation from school ends you will come and live with us here."

I began to interject, but my mother cut me off. "I know that you feel close to him there. When I was in high school one of my very best friends moved away and every day for the rest of that year I went to the place where we would sit and talk. It helped me feel close to her. But it wasn't healthy. All that we ask is that you stay until you are nineteen, next September. You can finish school and get away from it all for a while. What do you say, Bella, honey?"

Deep down, I knew that this decision could change my life. I could let go, or I could cling to the hope that someday _he_ would come back. "Do you mind if I sleep on it. It's a big decision."

Phil smiled. "Go ahead, Bella. You're being very mature about it, asking for time to think and all. You have two months to think it over, don't rush yourself," he smiled again. "Now go to bed, you look exhausted!"

"Thanks, mom. Thanks, Phil. I will think about it and you will have an answer before I have to go back to Forks," I gave Phil a little hug and kissed Renee on the cheek.

There was no way possible to make me feel more guilty about what I was about to have to do. The stairs seemed endless and the thought of what was at the end of them didn't help.

I walked in to see him tucking a pair of socks into my overnight bag. "Great news, I managed to fit all the essentials and a few nonessentials in this baby," he grinned. "You're good to go," he saw the look on my face. "What's wrong?"

"They want me to come and live with them. Are you sure that if I stay here the Volturi will hurt them?"

"Positive. Especially since you're a human who knows about vamps. I mean, more than the average person who saw the newscasts and the press conferences. I know that you feel guilty 'n all, but, if you want them to be safe, you need to leave. Besides, you'll be safer if you leave too."

"I could give a rat's ass less about myself; I want to know that Renee and Phil will be safe!"

"Wow," he held up his hands pleadingly. "I can't guaranteed that you're rents will be safe. That's something that will depend on how much information you give them. My advice, keep them mostly in the dark and leave a note. Leave a note directly to the Volturi too, sort of a disclaimer that your parents have no clue where you are. It'll help."

"Great, now I have to explain my disappearance to Renee, Phil, and a dangerous group of bloodsucking vampires. That should be easy," I rolled my eyes. Sometimes James reminded me of one of _them_. The big, bear-like one.

James sighed. His eyes flashed black and he looked truly annoyed for a moment. It passed quickly and he smiled. "Just remember to be polite. I have to go grab something to eat. I'll be right back," he popped out the window.

I paused. What did I do now? Normally I would have thought over my actions while I packed, but James had done that for me. I sat at the little writing desk in my room and chewed on a pen.

_Dear Mom and Phil,_

_I don't expect you to understand why I left. In fact, it's better that you don't understand. All I can say is that a friend is in trouble and I need to help them. This has nothing to do with Forks or E--_

My pen hesitated to write his name and the hole in my chest began to ache dully.

_-dward._

I finished. I was going to have to deal with this some time.

_It is a completely different situation. Please don't worry about me, I'll be perfectly safe. If anyone comes to the house looking for me, please give them the letter attached to this one. Renee, don't read the other letter! My friend's wellbeing could depend on it._

_I will love you always; this doesn't mean that I don't._

_Forever your loving daughter, Bella._

The love that I wanted to communicate couldn't be written and the guilt I was felling couldn't either.

Now I had a completely different sort of letter to write. I needed to write a letter to an insane vampire lord and his counterparts that would convince them not to harm my kind loving parents and Phil. I had no clue what to do.

_To whom it may concern,_

I decided to go with almost complete ignorance. Like I saw it on TV and just knew James before I knew that he was a vampire.

_I helped James out of the zoo of my own accord. No one coursed me into doing it, it was my decision. My mother, father, and step-father had not knowledge whatsoever of what I was doing. I even managed to keep his presence in the house from them. _

_Please, leave them out of this. They had nothing to do with it._

_Bella Swan_

"Are you ready," I turned to see James, a little wetter than before, standing next to the window.

I was suddenly struck by how much James looked like _him_. They stood the same way, smelled the same way, and both had a crooked way of smiling. My chest burned around the edges as I thought of _his_ smile.

James raised an eyebrow. "Something wrong? You don't look well."

"No, I'm fine. I wrote the notes, I'll leave them here," I set the notes on the table. "Let's go."

**Reviews!**

**JokerGirl:** You're welcome! Your story was good too, and this is the update that you asked for!

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**Sexton:** Here's he next chaper!


	8. Nighmare at the Mall of America

**Disclaimer:** If I owned _Twilight_, it would be so much better.

**Jacksonville Blues - Nightmares At Mall of America (James' Point of View) (1909)**

It was late when we stopped. Bella had finally agreed to ride piggyback style instead of us walking all the way Minnesota. (We were headed to the Mall of America and we were going to figure it out from there.)

Bella thought that we were somewhere in Mississippi, I thought we were in Arkansas. Turns out, she was right.

We decided to stop at a cheesy little motel for the night. It wasn't bad, just bad taste. The walls were all Avocado Green and Salmon Pink. All very seventies.

"You can have the shower first," I said to the shivering ball of blankets on one of the beds. I heard something that might have been a "thank you" and an arm poked out of the ball of blankets to grab Bella's bag. A few moments later I heard the shower start.

I sighed. I'd thought that it was going to be a long day when I watched the sunrise this morning. I could only guess what Bella was feeling. She had just flown all the way from Washington State, was probably jet lagged, found out that I was still alive, and helped me break out of my zoo cage. Now we were on the run from the Volturi. Great. Just great.

The mini-fridge was fully stocked and I was ready with some Ben and Jerry's and a spoon when Bella got out of the shower. "Dinner?"

She smiled. "Thanks. It's my favorite, too."

"Everything but the… I'd have never thought!"

She started to laugh and shiver at the same time. "Everyone thinks that my favorite is Chubby Hubby."

"Might wanna eat that a little slower, champ. You're shivering."

"It's just because I'm wet," she giggled, then her face grew serious. "Do you think the Volturi will go after my parents and Phil?"

I'd been waiting all night for that question. I still had no idea how to answer it. "I really don't know. I guess it's just up to fate now. I think they might question them for a while, then realize that they're useless and leave them alone."

_Or they realize that they're useless and kill them…_

"It's my turn for the shower," I smiled at her. "No peeking!"

I emerged half-an-hour later in a towel, drying my hair. "Anything good on TV?"

She half turned then squeaked. "Damn it, James, why are you in a towel!?"

"Uhm… I was just in the shower? Why are you so bugged by it, I'm not showing anything."

I could almost see the little fumes coming from her ears. "It's the principle. If we're going to be together for a while, there need to be some rules."

I walked over and sat next to her on the couch. I leaned in close and she blushed. "Fire away, champ."

"First, no nudity; second, no lewd comments; third, no sex of any kind while I'm here; fourth, no porn _or_ magic fingers," it sounded like she was going through a list that she'd made up while I was in the shower. "Fifth, don't touch me. Ever."

"What if you're fainting?"

"You know what I mean by touching, James."

"Fine. Are those all your rules?"

"For the most part, but I'll come up with more."

"Y'know what, I'm going to go back into the shower and when I come out, I hope you're in a better mood."

An hour later I came out to find Bella sleeping. I smiled, and then sat on the couch in my boxers. I shook my head, what was I thinking? She was nothing more than a human. An annoying human at that. I quickly squashed all warm, fuzzy feelings and launched myself into a long bout of pessimism.

It was about two in the morning when Bella started to move. I was watching some lame made-for-TV movie about killer bees. It started with a little groaning and I could hear her flopping around on the bed. I figured she was just having a dream.

Then she started to talk. "Oh, Edward, please, please don't leave me! I promise I won't trip again! My birthday will never, ever be repeated! Please, Edward! Edward? Edward?! EDWARD," there was a pause in what was now screaming. I rose and walked over to the side of the bed.

Then came the screaming. "HE'S GONE! HE'S GONE! HE'S GONE!"

I decided that it would be a good idea to wake her up before she got us kicked out. "Bella, wake up," I shook her. "Wake up!"

Her eyes opened and she looked at me. "James?"

"It was just a dream," I smiled reassuringly.

"James," she started to sob.

I had no clue what was happening or what to do. But Bella did. She grabbed my arm and pulled me into bed. I half-hugged her and said what I imagined to be comforting things. She fell asleep a few moments later, wrapped in my arms.

It _was _a long night. The morning wasn't any better. Bella woke up in my arms to hear me humming _Here Comes the Sun_. She turned to stare at me. "Good morning," I smiled. "It was your idea; no, you're not insane; yes, that is a Beatles song."

"I can remember what happened, thanks. I just thought that the part about pulling you into bed was a dream," she detached herself from my arms and walked over to the mini-fridge.

"How long have you been having that dream?"

"What dream," she fished some more ice cream out.

"The one where you started to scream Edward's name."

She froze. "Oh. You heard me."

"I should say that most of the motel heard you. After you screamed about Edward, you started to yell something about tripping and your birthday party. It was all rather garbled."

Bella sat on the couch and I came to sit next to her. "I said all that?"

"Yeah. You don't have to tell me about it if you don't want to."

"No, no," she shook her head. "I need to talk. It'll help me."

I twirled a piece of my hair while she stared at the Avocado Green carpet. "This September I turned eighteen. The C-- Cullens," she flinched, but less than before. "Threw me a birthday party. A-Alice decorated the house with thousands of millions of glass votives with little candles in all of them," Bella gulped. "There were so many presents. I got a paper cut while I was opening one of them. J-J-Jasper lost control and came at me. E-E-E-E-Edward pushed me out of the way and I landed in the votives."

She was crying by then and she held up her arms, which were crisscrossed with scars. "Everyone thought I was a cutter for the longest time. It made _him_ think. _He_ came to the conclusion that he was too dangerous to be around me. So _he_ convinced _them_ to leave. It was almost a year ago.

"To answer your question: I've been having that dream since _they_ left," she laughed through her tears. "You should see the look on your face."

"I'm going for sympathetic, how's it working," I made a Puss in Boots face.

She laughed again. "Not as well as you think," there was a pause. "James, you're eyes are turning gold!"

I looked in one of the many tacky gold mirrors. "So they are. I did promise to go straight, remember?"

"I know, I just didn't think you'd actually do it. Congratulations," she patted my shoulder. "So, where are we going today?"

"Somewhere north and highly populated. We'll try to get to Minnesota before the end of the day, but I don't think we will."

Bella wiped her eyes. "Then let's go."

* * *

"James, where are we," Bella asked.

"Uh... I think this is Tennessee. I'm not too sure," just then we passed a sign that said: WELCOME TO KANSAS! And in smaller script at the bottom it said: THERE'S NO PLACE LIKE HOME! I stopped behind the sign.

"How tacky," said Bella.

"I agree. Well, this is no good; traveling through the woods is only screwing up my sense of direction. We need some wheels," I scratched my head. "There should be a Key in the town."

"What kind of wheels were you thinking of? Do you even have enough to buy a car," she clambered off my back.

"I have enough money to buy at least six. But I was thinking something more in the motorcycle venue. I've always wanted a Harley."

Bella squeaked and grabbed my arm. "A motorcycle?! James, I'll fall off and die!"

"Not if I'm driving, you won't. Bad driving doesn't run in the family," I bit my tongue, but she didn't seem to notice.

"I'll drop you off at the next motel and you can stay while I get my Harley."

"Are you sure that you can't just buy a regular car? I'm not really comfortable with a motorcycle," she pouted. Was Bella regaining some of her powers of persuasion?

"That's the whole point. Your Ex will never think to track a motorcycle," I shrugged. "It makes sense."

"Fine," she sighed and shook her head. "Drop me off at the next motel and I'll settle in."

I found Bella a motel and dropped her off out front. My next stop was the nearest bank and after a motorcycle dealer in the next town over. They had the best Harley I had ever seen. It was black with blue horses painted on the sides and had a nice chrome finish on all the fittings. I bought it.

The minute I drove into the little motel, Bella ran outside to see the bike I'd bought.

"Well! That's certainly not what I expected," she smiled lightly.

"It was the best one they had in stock. Here, take this," I handed her a helmet. "I bought two and a pair of gloves for me. We'll be able to hide in plain sight."

"That's good," she chewed her lip, blushed, and scuffed her feet at the same time. Quite the multitasker, this one. "About this motel… Well, you'll see," she led me into the room.

It was all black and pink and fuzzy with mirrors everywhere. "Oh," my eyes widened to take everything in. "So it's _that_ kind of motel."

"Yes, it's _that_ kind of motel. The worst thing is that there's only one bed," she gave me a flat look. "And since you don't sleep, it's mine."

I smiled. "Sure thing, champ."

"Don't call me that. I'm going to bed."

"Yes sir!"

The next day we had finally made it to Bloomington and the Mall of America. Bella almost dropped her helmet. "It's huge!"

"Yeah. I've seen bigger buildings. I went to the Taj Mahal in the sixties; if you wanna see huge, go there," I set our helmets down on the bike. "Not to mention the fact that it's a terrific experience."

"I can imagine. Let's go in," she smiled brightly and went forward. Being Bella, she tripped on a crack in the pavement and almost fell flat on her face.

I dove and caught her. "Easy, champ," I mumbled. We were only a few inches apart. For some strange reason there were little tingles going up and down my spine.

She turned bright red and pushed herself off of me. "Thanks."

"Bella? _James!?_"

The squeaky voice wall all too familiar

Bella's face went from red to white in a matter of seconds. "Alice."

**Reviews.**

**Author's Note:** I wasn't sure where the new started and the old began, but I'm answering all the ones that I think are that right ones. I think.

**TheVampireWithTheGoldenEyes:** Of course it will! (/endsarcasm)

**la-giggles:** Thanks, and yeah, eventually the fac that she doesnt say his name sinks into James' thick skull.

**Anne:** Thanks!


	9. Explinations for Alice

**Disclaimer:** If I owned _Twilight_, it would be so much better.

**Author's Note:** I'm even going to attempt review replies. Let's just say that I love you all. Even that funny looking kid in the back. Psst, Jane, you wanna start a forum for Volturi lovers? I do!

**Jacksonville Blues - Explanations for Alice (Bella's Point of View) (946)**

"Bella, what are you doing here? And with James of all people," Alice had dropped almost all her bags on the tar. She let a feral growl slip between her teeth. "Let go of her, James. She's done nothing to you."

It was only then that I realized that James had put a protective arm around my shoulders. It sent little tingles down my spine. When Alice growled he let his arm drop. "Alice," I was doing my best to keep my voice from quavering. "It's okay, I'm with James of my own free will."

Alice dropped the remainder of her bags and adopted a blank expression. She was either having a vision or genuinely shocked. "When I had this vision, I thought that you were just kidding. But now that I'm looking at you face to face, I can tell you're telling the truth. Perhaps we should talk," she gave James a pointed look. "Alone."

James snorted. "Sure thing, I could use some new shirts. I'll be in Hot Topic. Watch yourself, champ," he walked off, waving.

"Don't call me 'champ,'" I mumbled.

Alice was looking at me peculiarly. "Are you alright?"

"Of course I am, Alice," I snapped.

She raised her hands in a placating manner. "Chill out! I'm just worried about you. Remember, it's been less than six months since he tried to kill you." she sighed. "C'mon, I'll buy you some tea."

Five minutes later we were sitting at Starbucks. I had a cup of tea and Alice bought herself a coffee to "keep up appearances."

"I don't know, Bella, it doesn't make any sense," she blew on her coffee and put it down.

I smiled tightly. "It didn't make any sense when _he_ left me. I decided to go with James because instead of just making decisions without me, he always asked me. He _asked_ me to help him escape. He told me just what the Volturi would do if they caught us and then _asked_ me if I would like to go with him. James has consulted me on every decision that he's made, and I've even made some.

"I wasn't like when I was with _him_. _He_ never asked me anything. _He_ just decided on his own."

Alice narrowed her eyes. "You really think all that?"

"Yes. Yes I do."

"Are you sure, I think that James has the ability to control--"

"Alice, I'm a freak, remember? Even if he did have the ability to control minds, it wouldn't work on me," I rolled my eyes.

"That's true. But he's still a carnivore. Bella, that's dangerous. He's only been a vampire for a few more years than E- _He_ has. What if he snaps?"

"Didn't you see his eyes," I smiled smugly. "They're turning golden, Alice. Golden, not red, not maroon. Golden."

She assumed a thoughtful look. "No. I suppose I didn't. Although I did notice that there was something a bit different about him. But I didn't think anything of it at the time. So," her expression brightened a bit. "What have you been doing these past few months?"

I sighed, then smiled bitterly. "They've been dull, Alice. I slipped into a state of despondency after you and your family left. Then Charlie sent me to Florida and I met James. For the last two days we've been traveling north. There's really nothing left to say."

"I see," she gazed at her coffee cup. "Would you like to know about _him_?"

I gulped. What if hearing what _he_ had been doing made my heart ache even more? My curiosity got the best of the aching hole in my chest. "Sure."

Alice looked at me curiously. "I have spent the last few weeks trying to find _him_. When finally did, it was in Brazil. _He_ was sitting on a cliff staring out into the sea. He misses you, Bella, and I think he still loves you."

"He gave up the rights to my heart when he left me," I surprised myself with the bitter tone in my voice. Was I becoming a jaded ex-girlfriend? Why not? I had every right.

"I agree," that shocked me a bit. Alice had almost always sided with _him_. "I managed to get him back into this country where he went to go stay with some friends. At first, he wanted to go find you, but I told him that neither of you would fare very well if you saw each other," she glanced sideways at me. I wasn't quite hyperventilating, but I was close. "If you want to go see him, he's in Denali with Tanya's coven."

There was a split instant that in which I wanted to see _him_ so bad that it actually physically hurt. Then I got a hold of myself. _He_ had left me, and it he wanted to see me he would have to come himself. Not that I even wanted him to. "I don't think so, Alice. It would be better if we stayed very far apart."

"Yes, I agree. It would be better for you and him," Alice got a far off look in her eyes. She stood. "I have to leave now, Bella. Do you have a message for any of the family?"

My mind flitted over the faces of the C-C-Cullens. The hole in my chest ached dully for a moment, then subsided. It was getting less and less painful by the day. "Give my love to Esme," I thought for a moment. "Alice, don't tell _him_ that I'm with James. Please, I know what he'ddo if he found out."

"Yes, I know what he would do, too. And it wouldn't be pretty."


	10. Revelations

**Disclaimer:** If I owned _Twilight_, it would be so much better.

**Author's Note:** I'm almost, ALMOST done with Jacksonville Blues. I just have to finish the last chapter and the epilogue is literally three words long, so there's that. I still love all of you, I just wish that some of the people who used to review would start again. I miss you all!

**Jacksonville Blues - Revelations (James' Point of View) (1156)**

I was browsing through the shirts when I heard someone clear their throat. I turned to see Bella standing behind me. "Hey, how did your talk with the short one go?"

"It was fine. James, _he's_ back in the country," she looked down at her feet and scuffed them. "Now that Alice knows we're together, _he'll_ try to find out where I am from her. And if _he_ does…" she trailed off.

"So there's a we now," I laughed lightly. "I jest, for all of her veggie short fallings, Alice is essentially a good person. She'll try to keep her thoughts to herself."

"I know. I just don't know how much longer I can run," she looked like she was going to cry.

I started to panic. I had no experience with crying women. "It's gunna be alright. C'mon, let's get some new clothes."

"Oh, no, I couldn't take money from you," she flushed red.

"Bella, I have enough money to buy two small houses and a pony, and that's just in one bank account. If you don't want to pick out new clothes, I'll pick them out for you," I barred my teeth in a feral smile. "I think we should start at Victoria's Secret, I saw the sexiest bra just in your size."

She turned even redder. "We'll start at Macy's."

Three pairs of jeans, four t-shirts, a jacket, and a blouse -- not to mention all the things that I got -- later we were back in the parking lot. Without my vampire's strength it would have been impossible to stuff all of our purchases in my and Bella's tiny backpacks.

When the time came to choose a motel, there were two choices: adult and B&B with creepy owners. I wanted to go to the adult; Bella wanted to go to the B&B. We went to the B&B.

"Would you two like a room with two beds or one," the cozy woman at the front desk asked, smiling politely in a creepy manner.

"Two beds, please," Bella answered.

"So you two aren't a couple? That's too bad," she pulled one of the keys off the wall. "You're cute together!"

"It's probably because we're siblings," I slung an arm around Bella.

She gave me a look that almost melted the wallpaper.

"Oh, I knew it," the little old woman grinned and opened the door to our room. "Here it is! Just return the key when you check out," she retreated down the stairs.

The room was tiny. It had two single beds that took up almost all the room. They almost touched in the middle. "So much for two beds. It really doesn't make much difference."

"It makes all the difference," Bella dropped her bag on the bed. "I'm going to take a," she peeked through the narrow doorway in the corner of the room. "Bath and then I'm going to get a good night's sleep!"

An hour later she exited, refreshed and smiling. "That was the most peaceful hour I've had since I ran away with you."

I grunted.

"James?"

I grunted again.

"A while ago you slipped and called E-E-Edward your brother," she inhaled deeply. "Afterwards you told me that it was just a slip of the tongue and that the only reason you called him that was because you used to be in the same coven."

I grunted a third time.

"I don't believe you. I think that he's your real brother."

I turned to her. "And just what makes you think that?"

"Sometimes when I look at you quickly, I think that you're him. Your features are somewhat similar and you even sound a little alike. Please, James, tell me the truth."

My mind searched for a good excuse to lie, but found none. "Sit tight, champ, this is gunna be a long one."

She rearranged the pillows and settled herself into the bed. "Ready."

"Edward was-- is my little brother. I was born a year before he was, almost to the day! When I turned eighteen, my mom was so terrified that I would be drafted into the army that she sent me to Canada. For the first couple of weeks I wrote to her whenever I got the chance. Then I met Victoria.

"She was the most beautiful girl I'd ever met! After a week with her I was head over heels in love. I stopped writing my parents. I guess it worried them, because a little while later, dad came up to see what happened. He brought mom with him.

"They said that I should come back for a visit. At least for a week. But I was too caught up in Victoria. I told them that I was in love and they could have America, I was staying there," I stared at my hands. "I'll never forget the look on my poor mother's face when she heard what I said. It broke her heart. I never heard from her again.

"Just after they left, Victoria came in and asked me if I would like to live forever. Love does funny things to a man. I said yes and next thing I knew, I was a vampire. Then I heard that my entire family had died of the flu in Chicago.

"When I saw Eddie in the '60s, it was the best surprise I'd had in years! I thought we could be family again! By that time, Viccy had lost interest in me and when Edward came, she found a new toy to play with. It's a good thing that the Doc came and got him when he did, otherwise Eddie might have never gone back to being a veggie," I shrugged. "My life in a nutshell. Any questions?"

Bella was sitting straight up in bed. She was staring at me in a peculiar fashion. "Uh, Bella," I snapped my fingers in front of her face. "Are you alright?"

She lunged forward and hugged me. It came as a shock and for a minute I wasn't sure what to do. When she started to sob I really didn't know what to do. I patted her back (hey, it'd worked before!) and murmured comforting little phrases. When she didn't stop crying, I decided to ask what was wrong. "Why so blue, champ?"

"It's sad, that's all," Bella sniffled and wiped her eyes. "I wish you had gotten to talk to your mom before she died. Do you think she would have forgiven you?"

"Most likely. She was a very loving person," I felt a burning in the corners of my eyes. I realized that this must be what it felt like for a vampire to cry.

She sniffed again, then wiped her nose on her sleeve. "I think I'm going to get to sleep now. No offense."

"None taken. Go get some sleep, champ."

Bella adjusted her pillows, then briefly turned to me, glowering. "Don't call me that."


	11. Complications

**Disclaimer:** If I owned _Twilight_, it would be so much better.

**Author's Note:** Another chapter for you!

**Jacksonville Blues - Revelations (James' Point of View) (1156)**

**Complications - Jacksonville Blues (James' Point of View) (1369)**

I tossed and turned all night. Even though I couldn't sleep, I was used to at least closing my eyes and being peaceful for a little bit. But not that night. So the next morning at six I was anxiously awaiting Bella's waking. She just snored peacefully on and on and on. My mind was drifting to the question of how long humans could sleep, when the shortest Cullen burst into the room.

"Youhavetogetoutofherenow!" Alice was as close to being out of breath as a vampire could, she was even panting a little.

"A fine hello to you too," I said. "And just why do we have to take to our heels?"

"Edward is coming," she spat. "He's coming here and he's coming now! Not to mention that he's out for blood -- your blood! He said something about his brother stealing his girlfriend. I haven't a clue what he meant, but he's super pissed off!"

Bella had sat up when Alice said "Edward" and was quickly dressing. I glanced in her direction. "So you did buy the underwear I suggested, eh," she jumped and shot like a rocket into the bathroom. I rolled my eyes and turned to Alice. "He's mistaken. Bella and I are just friends."

"That's right," Bella emerged from the bathroom. She sounded a little put out. If she were any other girl, I could have sworn that it was as if she wanted to be more than "just friends". But Bella Swan was irrevocably in love with Edward Cullen. Nothing could ever change that.

"Wait just a minute! How does he know where we are?"

Alice coughed. "Well, I was rather careless with my thoughts when I first got back to the house we're living in now. I wanted to tell Jazz what happened and Edward caught my thoughts before I could start translating that Star Spangled Banner into Japanese sign language," she inhaled needlessly. "Now he thinks that James is stealing you away. So he's coming to steal you back and kill James!"

"Didn't you try to explain it to him," I could see the blood draining from Bella's face. I sat her on the couch.

"I told him everything you told me," Alice sighed. "But it just made him angrier. Jazz is trying to stall him, but I don't think it'll work for long."

"It didn't," the silky smooth voice from the doorway made us all jump. "Jasper was very bad at hiding his intentions. I discovered his plans within an hour and also discovered your whereabouts." Edward stood in the doorway, the perfect-looking little brother that he'd always been. He seemed calm, but he was always good at hiding his emotions.

Alice licked her lips. "That's one of his faults. You can't blame him for it."

"Right about now, I'm thanking him for it," Edward commented dryly, glancing in my direction. "Hello, brother," his voice was cold enough to freeze boiling water.

"Hey there, little bro', how are you these days," I said, trying to be friendly and menacing at the same time. It wasn't working out very well.

He smiled stiffly. "Still being the better brother. How about you?"

"I've been converted to vegetarianism by _your_ girlfriend," I put emphasis on "your". I wanted Edward to know that Bella was still his. Not mine, his.

Edward turned to Bella. "Is that true?"

I looked at Bella for the first time since Edward walked in the door. She was staring at him. I could see the hole in her heart turning into a gaping chasm of emptiness. She knew that once Edward had dealt with me, he would leave again. And this time she wouldn't have a friend to turn to. It wasn't a happy prospect.

She licked her lips and I put a hand on her shoulder. Edward bristled and growled slightly, but didn't make a move.

Bella inhaled. "I-I-It's true."

"I see. So my dear brother James has finally seen the light, as it were. I never thought I'd see the day," he smirked. "Despite this turn of events, it's time for you to come back with me, Bella."

She stiffened under my hand. "W-W-What?"

"James isn't safe to be around, even if he has converted. We found that out the last time we met him, remember? He's dangerous, you know that."

She looked from me to Edward. He held out his hand to her, but his eyes never left me. Bella cleared her throat. "No."

Edward pulled his hand back like he had been burnt. "What?"

"No," her voice grew in strength and her stutter subsided. I guess it had something to do with her anger. "You left me, Edward! I have every right to do whatever I see fit with my life! James isn't dangerous. He didn't even want to kill me!"

Edward looked hurt beyond all reasoning. He turned to me. "This is all your fault! You broke our mother's heart and now you're stealing mine? How could you?"

"What? I don't even like Bella that way! She's your girl as long as she wants to be. I can't control her any more than you can!"

Now it was Bella's turn to look hurt. It was only six thirty and two people were already pissed at me. "But, James, I thought that you had feelings for me! You told me all that stuff about your past and helped me escape the Volturi… Didn't that mean anything to you?"

"I guess it kinda meant that we were siblings in battle? Or something like that! I've only known you for two weeks! For one of those weeks I was in a zoo of all places. Bella, make a decision based on what you want to do! You can even go with Edward!"

She frowned at me. "But I love you."

Dead silence.

That was unexpected.

"I've liked you every since I found out that you didn't really want to kill me and then I started to love you when you started to tell me more about yourself. I love you, James!"

"Uh, I don't think--"

"Alice what is it," Edward's exclamation brought us out of our little world and back into reality.

"I just had a vision..." she trailed off in mid sentence. Apparently the vision hadn't been a good one. "It was of Victoria. She somehow knows what's happening. Edward, James, she's coming for us."

As we fled, I contemplated my problem. I had heard of love triangles before, but never love squares! This was – by far – one of the most complicated and dangerous situations that I had ever been in!

I was trapped between two jealous lovers for something that didn't even exist. I mean, Bella was pretty, but not worth getting killed for. At least not just yet. I hardly even knew the girl and she was saying that I was her "true wuv", that was just freaky. It was like she was a stalker or something.

Edward, clearly hearing my thoughts, growled menacingly. "She's not a stalker."

Bella looked indignantly at me. I rolled my eyes. "Lighten up, little bro'."

"_Stop_ calling me that. It's almost worse than calling me," Edward shuddered. "Eddie."

"Whatever," I turned to the midget driving the car. "So, Alice, where are you taking us?"

"As far away from Victoria as we can get," she said, keeping her eyes on the road.

"I see… Am I ever going to get my bike back?"

"Probably not," Alice said. "But I think it should be safe for no—," she abruptly ended her sentence because her eyes rolled back in her head and she slumped on the steering wheel.

"Hocrap," I said, grabbing the wheel. "Has this ever happened to her before, Ed?"

"Not that I've seen, she must be having a vision," Edward replied, gently unbuckling Alice and pulling her into the back seat.

I slid into the driver's side and asked. "Where to, folks?"

"Anywhere that Victoryia won't expect us to go."

"Alrighty then," I thought for a while then came up with the perfect solution. "Do you think she would look for us overseas?"

I saw Edward smile in rearview mirror. "What did you have in mind?"

"Well…"


	12. Destination London

**Disclaimer:** If I owned _Twilight_, it would be so much better.

**Author's Note:** An alternate title for this chapter could be: "Bella Gets a Backbone."

**Jacksonville Blues - Destination London (James' Point of View) (1171)**

"I assume that we do have a nice inconspicuous place for us to stay," Edward sneered.

I inhaled deeply, not for any particular reason other than soothing my frayed nerves. "For the last time: yes, Edward, we do have a safe place to stay. We can hide out at one of my friend's houses."

"Oh, really," he inquired. I was almost sure that he was just doing this to annoy my.

"Really, Edward."

"I see… Is this friend of yours a… Shall we say… A carnivore?"

I chewed the inside of my lip in annoyance. " Yes, Edward, he is a carnivore. But, he's lived around humans long enough to be able to control himself."

"I highly doubt that. I remember all of your friends from the sixties. Which one is it, Danny? Alfred?"

"Alistair."

"Ahh, Alistair, the rambling narcotic. Tell me, is he still on drugs?"

I rolled my eyes. "Most likely. He sounded sober when I called him."

"I bet that he's higher than a kite when we get there," Edward turned to the short one. "What do you think?"

"I don't know… I haven't had any visions since we left the states," she replied, her brow furrowing.

**Alistair's House**

The door opened and Alistair peeked out. "James, is that you?"

"Yes, Alistair, it's me."

Alistair stepped out, the murky light glinting off of his half-moon glasses. He glanced down at me then at Alice, Edward, and Bella. "So these are the friends you were talking about… I remember your brother," Edward grimaced. "And the short one must be Alice Hale. That means that you," he pointed to Bella. "Are Bella Swan. I have heard much of you and James," he smiled. "Come in!"

We entered the house and Alistair led us to his tiny living room. He smiled warmly at Bella. "Would you like some tea?"

She smiled back, blushing. "No thanks."

"Very well then," he turned to me. "A glass of O-positive for you, James."

"Yeah, thanks, Alistair."

Alice and Edward exchanged glances, then looked at me with the same exasperated look on their faces. I shrugged, grinning. "It's in my nature? Can't help that."

Alistair returned with a glass of O-positive for me, and some AB-neg for himself. He was always one for the rare blood types. I wondered what would happen when he found out that Bella was the same blood type as he was drinking. Edward stiffened and glanced tightly in my direction.

"I hear that you're in some trouble with the Volturi," Alistair gazed down into his AB-neg and swirled his cup. "I also heard that you needed a place to hide."

"That's about it, kid," I replied, taking a swig of my blood.

"Kid? Hah, that's a laugh. The long and short of my message is this: I know where you can go where they won't."

Edward and Alice leaned forward in anticipation. Apparently Eddie couldn't hear Star's thoughts.

"There is a place, nestled deep in the eastern Romanian Alps, that is completely safe from Volturi jurisdiction. It is guarded by the Skovvgard family. They are sworn enemies of the Volturi and will give sanctuary to anyone who is running from them. Are you willing to travel there?"

"I'm up for it," I replied. Not wanting to face the Volturi or my ex at any time in my undead life.

"Me too," Bella squeaked.

Edward looked none too pleased. "Eastern Romania? Are you kidding? I'm not letting Bella go anywhere that dangerous!"

I rolled my eyes. "God, Edward, did you ever stop to think what Bella might want? You're seriously over-protective!"

He growled through barred teeth. "I'm not letting her go anywhere with you."

"Edward," Bella practically yelled in his ear. "I'm tired of you treating me like my opinion doesn't matter, or even exist," she inhaled deeply. "I thought you were the one, but now you're just so overprotective that I can't do anything on my own," she took another breath, this one was quivering. "I'm… I'm breaking up with you."

I could have sworn that my jaw and Eddie's both hit the floor at that moment. Bella was showing signs of being a normal human! She was breaking free of a controlling boyfriend who controlled her so much that it was on the point of abuse. I almost screamed "YES" at the top of my lungs.

"I need to find who I am without you," she picked at her fingers. "And it's not because of James. I'm not really in love with him, it was an impulsive thing to say. But, he is my friend."

Edward's mouth opened and closed convulsively. I could almost see his mind working frantically, trying to figure out what brought along this sudden turn of events. "You're what?"

Bella's voice was a bit stronger when she answered. "I don't think you're good for me. I'm breaking up with you."

Alistair looked a little nonplused that all of this was happening in his house, and Alice was gazing blankly off into space. I was just surprised that Bella was showing signs of what appeared to be genuine independence.

Bella turned to me. "Will you take me to Romania?"

"Uhm… Sure?"

"Then let's go," she picked up her backpack. "We don't have much time," she sounded like she was eager to part from Edward's company. Said ex-boyfriend was sitting, stone-faced on the couch while Bella was saying her goodbyes. Her first was to Alice. "Alice, I will always think of you as my very best of friends. I am so sorry if I have hurt you in any way!"

Alice shook her head. "I never thought you had it in you. I always knew that he was being too controlling for you to stay with him for long, but I never knew that you would ever leave him."

They embraced and Bella turned to Alistair. "Thank you so much for helping us! Maybe sometime I can come back and have some tea."

Then she turned to Edward. "Please, you once said essentially the same thing to me. Now let me make the same plea to you: don't do anything stupid. I'm not dead, just gone for a while. If you agree to let me have a voice, I might come back. But, until then, goodbye, Edward Cullen."

She squared her jaw and walked stiffly out of the door. "See ya, Star. Alice. Edward," I turned to look at him. "I'll keep her safe."

There was no response. He looked like a part of him had died.

Bella was quiet for the entire ferry ride of France. When we got to Paris we found a little B&B to stay in. The staff were polite and didn't ask questions.

When we got to our room, Bella sank down on the bed and started to sob convulsively. I sat next to her and patted her back. She grabbed me around the waste and, through the sobs, managed to get a few words out. "I hope he doesn't do anything stupid."


	13. The Phone Call

**Disclaimer:** If I owned _Twilight_, it would be so much better.

**Author's Note:** This is the second to last chapter of _Jacksonville Blues_! I'm so excited and sad at the same time!

**Jacksonville Blues - Edward Does Something Stupid (Edward's Point of View) (296)**

Bella was gone. Just gone. My life had lost its meaning. Through the pain, I heard Alice say: "I think I should take him home."

Alistair, my brother's junkie friend made a little noise of affirmation. "He looks like he's going to be sick."

But I wasn't going to be sick. I was going to get revenge. If I couldn't have Bella, no one could.

Later that evening, while Alice was buying airplane tickets back to the US, I made a call on my cell phone. "Hello, I need to speak to Lord Aro."

The secretary gasped slightly. "I'll get him for you, sir."

There was a pause and some tacky hold music, then Aro's smooth voice come over the earpiece. "Yes?"

"I heard that you're after James Mason," I tried to mask my voice with a thick Russian accent, but I was unsuccessful.

"Edward, your brother is wanted. However, I don't expect you to betray him over a human," Aro sighed, obviously exasperated over my illogical behavior.

"That's not it," I growled. "I want to tell you where he's going."

"Is that so?"

"Yes, now would you like to know or not?"

"Why not," Aro sounded bored.

"He's going to Romania in the company of a human girl, if you work quickly you may be able to catch them before they get to the border."

"Interesting," Aro drawled. "Why are you betraying your own brother for a human, Edward?"

I stiffened. He had no right to ask. "It's none of your business."

"Fine, fine. I suppose that I shouldn't look a gift horse in the mouth. Thank you, Edward," he purred.

The line went dead and Alice walked up behind me. "Are you ready to return to America, Edward?"

"Yes, Alice, I think I am."


	14. Apocalypse Now

**Disclaimer:** I don't own _Twilight_.

**Author's Note:** This is it. The last chapter of my two — nearly three — year endeavor. Two years of grappling with my Muse, ordering her to help me, and the like. I hope you like the finally. After this comes an epilogue and then, eventually, the sequel: _A Ripple in Romania_. Hope you enjoy this.

For the last time,

_Lenny_

**Apocalypse Now - Jacksonville Blues **

"James, I need to stop," Bella whispered in my ear. She hadn't spoke since she broke up with Edward, and, frankly, I was just happy that she could still talk.

"Sure thing," I skidded to a halt and let her off my back.

She tapped me on the shoulder and I turned. "Huh?"

"Do you think Edward will commit suicide?"

I blinked. Was this a precursor to her leaving me and going back to her beloved? "I don't think he's that desperate. He'll probably get over you… in a few years."

She sighed deeply. "That's good. I don't think I could ever forgive myself if he did something because of me."

"Like I said, I don't think he will," I sniffed the air and caught the faint scent of another vampire. "Hell, we need to go. Now," I slung Bella onto my back and ran for all I was worth.

Four hours later we were almost to the Romanian border and safety.

"James, I…" Bella paused, as if unsure to tell me. "I have to go."

I stopped and let her down. "Whatever, human."

She pursed her lips and stalked off into the trees.

As she did, I found myself staring at her butt. I shook myself, that was definitely not acceptable. Ever. Especially considering the fact that she had just broken up with her boyfriend.

My train of thought was broken by Bella's agonized scream. I rushed through the trees to find her in the grip of one of the Volturi guard.

I grabbed the guard by the back of his cloak and pulled for all I was worth. He came rocketing toward me in a shroud of grey cloth. Lucky for me, he was stunned enough so I could twist his neck until it snapped. I dropped the guard and grabbed Bella. "Were there any more of them?"

She gasped for air, clutch at her throat. "He was the only one."

"He was probably just a scout. But that means we need to get moving. We're close to the Romanian border, it shouldn't be long now," I picked Bella up and ran.

All through the forest behind us, I could hear the sounds of the Volturi running. I could smell them. Animals fled in all directions at our approach. That many vampires in the forest made them uneasy. Hell, that many vampires in the woods made me uneasy.

A feral snarl came from just behind us and I felt something pull on Bella. I spun in place, my boots skidding as the momentum threw the other vampire off my back and into a tree. Bella squeaked as I dashed over to the vampire and snapped his neck. "Did you really have to do that?"

"It was essential. Otherwise, he'd have ran back to them and told where we were. You might think it's brutal, but they'd do the same to us if they caught us."

"Still, you could have just knocked him out," she bit her lip, staring into the dead vampire's cloudy eyes.

"Not possible. Come on, they're right behind us."

She looked back into the forest, the trees were shaking violently. "Fine."

The Romanian border is a grim place. All grey. Even the grass is a shade of grey. Of course, it didn't help that there was a storm brewing. Rain started to fall in huge drops. It reminded me of the first night that I went home with Bella. Nice and rainy.

Something behind us snarled for the second time that night. This time, I spun before it could rip Bella off my back.

Felix stood at the edge of the forest. "So good to see you, James. But didn't I hear that you died a while back? Oh, that's right, you didn't die. You got stared at by a bunch of stupid humans," he laughed. Felix never had been any good at jokes. I think it pained his brains.

"It was better than my second death. What do you want, smart arse?"

His smile flickered. "Just what didn't happen the first time. I want your second death." Felix charged.

I waited until he was at arm's length to make my move. I sidestepped neatly to my left and Felix went whirling past. He cursed and charged again. This time when he got at arm's length, I punched him square in the face. Felix went flying off into Romania. I smirked. "That should teach him."

Bella whimpered. "Won't he come back?"

"If he's smart. If he get's caught on the Romanian side of the border, he'll be taken prisoner and killed at a moment's notice."

There was a roar of pain. Apparently Felix had finally come in contact with the ground. He came speeding back. Until the last moment, he attacked me from the front. Then he went for Bella. I felt my neck snap back and he tore her from my grasp. Bella screamed and I used the momentum of the snap to whip myself around.

Felix had her by the throat. She was struggling violently; one of her arms hung limply, swinging as she struggled. He grinned savagely. "I've got your little human, what're you gunna do now, James?"

I licked my lips. My mind raced as he stroked her throat. There was no possible way that I could save Bella without endangering her life. Something clicked. There was a way, but it meant doing something that I had hoped that I'd never have to do.

"Bella, how do you feel about vampirism?"

She paused in her struggling, then her eyes widened. Bella sighed and lowered her head. "Do whatever you have to do, James. I trust you."

I inhaled deeply, closing my eyes and trying to find some peace. Thunder rumbled overhead. How cliché. My eyes opened to see Felix's grinning face. I snarled. It was time to end this.

I ran forward, charging Felix and calling his bluff. He tossed Bella aside into a convenient pile of rather sharp rocks. She cried out in pain, but I had no time to sympathize. Or rescue her, for that matter.

My hands found Felix's throat and I tried to twist it so his neck would snap. But things are never that easy. He bit at my hands and wriggled out of my grasp. I growled and went for his neck again. This time I managed to attach myself to his back. Once more, I grabbed his throat. A sickly snap emanated from it as I twisted as hard as I could. I dropped to the ground. He'd died that easily? It wasn't possible.

I looked quickly around, making sure that Felix was the only one around. Surprisingly, he was. Then my thoughts turned to Bella. She was lying in the stones, bleeding slowly to death. I scooped her up in my arms and carried her across the Romanian border.

"Are you sure that you want to go through with this? I'm sure you're wounds could heel on their own."

She smiled, gasping for breath. "Not this time. I'm far too breakable to stay a human. Just look at me…" she gasped again. "I've known that I was supposed to be a vampire since the first time Edward told me what he was…" her eyes closed for a moment, I was just about to take a bite out of her neck when she stopped me. "Let me finish. I'm not ready to die just yet. This time, I want to be changed for a different reason. I want to be like you. I want to stay with you…" her eyes closed again. "I'm ready."

I frowned; then I smiled and kissed her forehead. "As you wish," I leaned over and gently bit her neck. I could feel the venom flowing from my mouth into her neck. Bella was well on her way to becoming a vampire. I pulled back, she wasn't breathing anymore, but I knew she was going to be okay. "Sleep well, my love."


	15. Epilogue

"She kissed me."


End file.
